Archive for ‘Nutrition Tools’

My affection for beautiful crystals has existed since I was a little girl. I recall being around the age of five, loving to collect rocks, and on one special occasion my mother gifted me a small “crystal kit“. The kit included six small crystals glued to a piece of paper, which came along with a little booklet describing the facts and value of each one.

The thought of supergluing a crystal to anything irks me now, but at the time I was just obsessed!

To this day I admire crystals, yet own just a few. I came across a gorgeous fluorite crystal today and it inspired me to do a little research on which healing crystals are called upon for diet and weight loss.

Here’s what I found:

Clear Quartz Crystal: This crystal represents physical and spiritual cleansing. Use this crystal as a strengthener and reminder to remove toxins from the body. This stone will also help you consciously make the right choices so you have an easier time ingesting the foods only capable of gifting life and energy to your body.

Agate: This energizing crystal symbolizes the strength within you. Keep this crystal in arms length if you need help uncovering your motivation to hit the gym!

Apatite: This stone has been discovered all over the world in six countries forming a hexagonal crystal system. This crystal is used in chakra healing on the sacral (navel) chakra. Since this crystal resonates with the sacral chakra, you can utilize it’s energy to cleanse your stomach and aid in the process of digestion. This crystal is also said to spike metabolism!

Tiger’s Eye: Supports physical vitality and energy. This stone is also said to help attune your mind to keep on track and stay mentally motivated.

Black Onyx: Symbol of inner strength and power.

Crystals are beautiful and powerful energetic gifts from the earth! I love admiring their energy and beauty. It is so interesting to me how several of us find such great reward in using these energy gems in healing practices. Meditate with these crystals and carry them around with you as little reminders to stay on track with your fitness goals! Enjoy. NB

Deciding whether or not to keep a fitness journal? Here are five reasons why you should consider jotting down your routines and eating habits:

1. It keeps you organized: Keeping a fitness log is one of the most brilliant things you can do if you’re trying to get in shape. Not only will it force you to sit down and reflect on your workout routines and food intake, but it will absolutely motivate and keep you focused on your goals.

2. It curbs your behaviors on a daily basis: By writing down the foods you’re eating and the activities you partake in, you will become more proactive in the decisions you make regularly.

3. You can look back and see what worked and what didn’t: By tracking your progress, you can refer to old notes and see which factors had the most profound effects on your fitness. Were you working out on the days when you felt happy and well rested? Did you tend to eat healthier or notice more strength when you ran on a daily basis? etc.

4. Helps balance sleep: When you keep a record of the hours you sleep every night you will become more conscious of assuring you get the sleep you need! Sleeping properly repairs the body, regulates metabolism and provides energy. Don’t skimp on the zZz’s.

5. Enjoy sweet victory: Congratulations! You have a new body, a new feel, and a whole fitness journal to idolize and keep as a trophy of your personal success.

So, now that you want to create a fitness journal…how do you do it?

Simple. Do what works for you.

Keep your thoughts written down on post-its, calendars, or be more traditional and write in an actual journal.

You could be a little tech-savvy and open up a word document on your desktop…or even blog about your fitness goals!

Doctor Oz came up with a list of ten things YOU can do right now, to lose ten pounds. My favorite suggestions of his are to cut out soda consumption and stay on top of taking your multi and B complex vitamins.

We only have a few weeks until July, and if you haven’t prepped your body properly for bathing suit season, you might want to take some of his ideas into consideration.

Here are ten tips I’ve created for optimal weight loss in a short period of time:

1. Mindful Eating: It may seem pretty basic, and you might think your eating mindfully– but really take a second to think about what you consume on a weekly basis. Rather than focusing on daily intake, (“I only had a FEW potato chips today”) focus on what you consume during the week.

Are you going through full bags of potato chips? Or are you going through full bags of spinach? Are you going through a tub of ice cream? Or are you going through a tub of low-fat Greek yogurt? This leads to the second point:

2. Cabinet Makeover: If your serious about ditching this extra weight, then it’s time to cleanse your kitchen! Go through your cabinets and refrigerator and get rid of anything which could be detrimental to your diet. Work out an understanding with your family and try to keep sweet-eating out of the house.

3. Sayonara Sodium!: Salt is SO important for our cells, because (Sodium) is one of the main electrolytes in our bodies. However, excessive sodium leads to water retention…which leads to packing on extra “water” weight.

Salt is often used for a preservative, so while your trying to cut these ten pounds, avoid preserved foods. Look for terms like, “low-sodium” or “unsalted”. Finally, try not to add extra salt to your meals.

4. Fat from Fruit?: Eeek! Could fruit make you fat? Maybe. When eating produce, try to fill up your cart with mostly veggies and limited fruits. Fruits tend to be higher in calories and much higher in sugar. When we have excess sugar in our bodies– it becomes converted and stored as fat. It doesn’t matter if the sugar comes from a grape or a donut, if it’s excess then you don’t want it.

Make sure fruit is your main source of sugar-intake and be “mindful” of not over-doing it!

5. Good Morning, Body: Rather than avoiding the world and throwing the covers over your head when the alarm goes off in the morning, try some light stretching. When we stretch before we even get out of bed, it starts the flow of blood in our bodies so that when we actually get out of bed, the idea of doing a few push-ups or sit ups isn’t so painful. Once you get a light workout in at the start of the day, you will be more conscious to avoid unhealthy decisions throughout the rest of the day.

6. Drink!: Soda, Alcohol, and Juices often contain too much sugar or food dyes and chemicals which can hinder weight loss. Even diet soda contains a chemical which actually slows metabolism over time.

By drinking water (add lemon or mint) you will stay hydrated and rid your body of unwanted toxins.

By drinking tea (especially green) you will actually boost your metabolism and pump your body with antioxidants. How could you go wrong?

7. Break Bad Habits: Turn sedentary activities into fat-burning. Walk instead of driving or taking the bus. Stretch while you watch TV. Do a wall sit while you brush your teeth.

The possibilities to be more active are endless! No excuses this summer…

8. Brown vs. White: It’s important to incorporate brown (breads, pastas, rices) into your diet rather than white. The simple sugars in the white product spike blood sugar and increase body fat percentage. The sugars in brown products are often paired with fibers and nutrients which cause a slow release of sugars into the blood stream. There is no overload of sugar into your body which means a less of an impact on body fat percentage.

9. Prepare Your Meals: Know what you are eating, by developing a relationship with food.

When we eat out of laziness or boredom, the last thing we want to do is actually prepare a meal. We might heat something up or grab a bag-o-somethin’ from the cabinet…but never do we find ourselves chopping fresh veggies and making home made hummus to feed our fix.

If your not willing to prepare something, then you probably aren’t about to eat because your body needs to.

By all means, prepare and store for later use…but make sure you are eating for the right reasons while steering clear from a diet which mainly consists of processed foods.

10. Love Your Body, Know Your Body: Remember not to get hung up on the scale. Know what your body looks and feels like. If you lost seven pounds and can’t seem to drop any more weight, but you notice your body toning up and transforming into something more energetic and flexible–than you’ve succeeded.

Muscle weighs more than fat anyway and it’s better to just decrease your body fat percentage than to focus on a number. NB